AM Alert: Air board contemplates cap-and-trade’s future

Who gets what when, in the popular formulation, works as shorthand for a lot of of political debates. It’s proving to be a critical dynamic as California debates the future of its centerpiece climate change program.

Even with big bucks going out the door, the program’s future remains uncertain. Brown has argued business interests and resistant legislators will prefer the reliability of cap-and-trade to more stringent dictates. Whether or not the Legislature musters a vote to extend the program beyond a 2020 limit set in statute, the ARB has already begun sculpting regulations that could sustain the system without a vote. On Friday, the ARB will meet in Sacramento for a public hearing that includes an agenda item on the post-2020 landscape for businesses and utilities.

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FOLLOW THE MONEY: Every year, reporters comb through gift disclosure forms to figure out who is paying for lawmaker travel, how much they’re spending and where they’re sending them (in addition to the recurring Maui excursion). Piecing that together could get a little easier thanks to a new law compelling lawmakers to disclose where they traveled and requiring some nonprofits that sponsor voyages to say where they’re getting their money. The Fair Political Practices Commission will discuss those changes, as well as various proposed fines, during a 10 a.m. meeting at 428 J Street.

ELECTION SPECIAL: Two different events today will dissect research illuminating how the November election might unfold. UC Center Sacramento is hosting a lunchtime talk on how to promote participation by fostering politically engaged and knowledgeable voters (featuring Sac State’s Danielle Joesten Martin and UC Berkeley Prof. Lisa Garcia-Bedolla, noon at 1130 K Street). And Sac State experts will gather at noon at the California State Library to do a little election forecasting, covering everything from the massive California ballot to control of the U.S. Senate. Scheduled experts include Dr. David Barker, director of Sac State’s Institute for Social Research and Prof. Kim Nalder, head of the school’s Project for an Informed Electorate.

CELEBRATIONS: Happy birthday to California Attorney General Kamala Harris, who will celebrate her 52nd in the middle of a U.S. Senate race.

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